Protein-Packed Almond Milk, Ten-Calorie Soda Taste Test & MORE!

So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Almond Plus 5X Protein! Almond Milk - If you love almond milk but are sad about how little protein it contains, this product will brighten your day. It's almond milk with FIVE TIMES as much protein as similar products. AWESOME! Each cup has 40 calories, 2g fat, 95mg sodium, 1g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, and 5g protein (PointsPlus® value 1*). Find it in shelf-stable quarts and refrigerated half gallons at most natural-food stores and some major supermarkets. P.S. There are sweetened varieties too: Original and Vanilla! These have 70 calories and 2g fat per cup (PointsPlus® value 2*).

Dole Banana Dippers - When we first spotted these, our eyes widened to the size of, well, frozen banana coins coated in dark chocolate. WHICH IS WHAT THESE ARE!!! They're also some of the coolest li'l portion-controlled packs we've come across in a while. Each pack (4 slices) has 100 calories, 4.5g fat, 10mg sodium, 13g carbs, 4g fiber, 7g sugars, and 1g protein (PointsPlus® value 2*). There's also an almond-topped version with 120 calories per pack. These haven't hit standard supermarkets yet (HURRY UP!), but you can find them in the freezer section at select Walmart locations and other superstores.

We depend upon the nutritional information listed on food packages, menus, and company websites, and we expect it to be accurate. So it can be distressing when we hear that some numbers aren't reliable. Filmmaker Casey Neistat went around New York and bought several foods that he might eat during a given day. He then had them tested to determine the accuracy of the listed calorie counts, and made a video about his findings. The Grandpa's Original Banana Nut Yogurt Muffin (Morrison's Pastry) wasn't labeled with a calorie count, but a call to the company revealed it should have had 640 calories. Lab results found it to have 734 calories! His Starbucks Grande Coffee Frappuccino with whipped cream was pretty close to its listed count, with only 23 extra calories. (Not bad, 'Bucks!) According to the Chipotle website, Casey's burrito should have had 1,175 calories (um, not a great choice, Case!), but the test results showed it contained an extra 120 calories. And his Natural Power-Fu Eggless Vegetarian Spicy Salad Sandwich (Casey's snack of choice) contained 548 calories, about TWICE the given number. Only Subway's 6" Turkey Breast sub came in with LESS than the reported calorie count, about 10 calories under the 360 calories listed. According to these results, Casey would have taken in an extra 548 calories in that one day. If he ate like this every day, he could gain a pound a week from these discrepancies alone! What do you need to know to avoid unexpected weight gain? For one thing, as Casey's experiment shows, big brands are more reliable than smaller mom 'n pop companies. Also, according to FDA guidelines, companies are allowed to be up to 20 percent off on the nutritional stats of packaged foods. Click here for more info on lying labels, and click here for our top tips on how to avoid 'em!

How Accurate Are Those Calorie Counts?

We Tasted and We're Telling...

The Ten-Calorie Soda Taste Test!

Intrigued by all the ten-calorie versions of popular sodas that are popping up? We were! How do they compare to zero-calorie diet versions? Do those few calories make a big difference in taste? We were skeptical, so we put some newbies to the test, and here's what we found...

The Need-to-Know:The TEN sodas feature a blend of the caloric and non-caloric sweeteners found in regular and diet sodas. They're currently in select stores (including 7-Eleven) and hitting more stores next month.

The Worst: 7UP TEN. The mild flavors are overpowered by the sweetener blend, giving this soda a weird aftertaste. But in all fairness, we prefer Sprite Zero...

The Bottom Line: The sweetener combo in the TEN sodas has its own unique flavor, and it definitely tastes less artificial than diet soda. If you don't like the way diet soda tastes but want an alternative to regular high-calorie, sugary sodas, this new stuff is absolutely worth trying! It's certainly a better choice than those mid-calorie sodas. And if you're looking for an all-natural soda option that isn't high in calories, check out Blue Sky Zero Calorie Stevia Soda -- the Creamy Root Beer and Cherry Vanilla Creme are really good!

The Buzz...

RECALL ALERT! A SLEW of bread items from Arnold, Brownberry, Sara Lee, and more have been voluntarily recalled! The best-by dates have passed (just last week), but click for details, and check your breads to be safe. ***In more recall news, Kellogg Company has issued a voluntary recall of certain Special K Red Berries cereal packages.Click here for the info, and then check your cereal! ***You know those print ads for perfume that allow you to sample the product? Well, wouldn't it be great if the same could be done for food or beverages? Introducing the tastable print ad from Fanta! Just tear off a piece of the page, and pop it in your mouth to sample the new (more orangey) flavor! Crazy... ***Ever imagined George Clooney baking you pizza in a brick oven at a seaside villa? (Who hasn't?) Looks like you're not alone... An illustration from a European pizza box is making the rounds online, as the pizza chef pictured bears a striking resemblance to the award-winning (and dreamy) actor. Coincidence, or brilliant marketing scheme? ***If you aspire to live by the USDA's MyPlate guidelines, listen up. One writer tried his very best to eat exactly according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for a week… and found it nearly impossible. While he discovered new favorite meals and enjoyed saving money by cooking lunches, he had problems with the amount of grains and dairy recommended (too much) and never could stay under the low sodium limit. Interesting! ***Finally, enjoy this photo gallery of gone-but-not-forgotten novelty cereals of the '80s. (Croonchy Stars, we miss you!) And that's all we've got... HG out!

Check Your Breads and Special K Red Berries Cereal!

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CHEW ON THIS:

Mmmm! Today, February 25th, is National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day. Chocolate and peanuts taste great together, but it's easy to overdo it. Try out the Emerald Breakfast On the Go! S'mores Nut Blend for portion-controlled peanutty, chocolatey goodness.

We may have received free samples of food, which in no way influences whether these products are reviewed favorably, unfavorably, mentioned with indifference, or mentioned at all. Click for more about our editorial and advertising policies.

*The PointsPlus® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.